This article was originally published on February 9, 2022.
Protection usually goes hand in hand with parenthood. And while it’s natural to worry about their child’s safety and well-being, parents sometimes prolong education to Also long.
This phenomenon may become more difficult to avoid as more and more adults stay at home well beyond high school. According Pew Research Center, 52% of 18-29 year olds in the United States were living with one or both parents in July 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic likely played a major role in this spike. This the number has since declinedalthough it reflects a larger national trend that began around the 1960s.
In the meantime, fuck with parents into adulthood is quite common around the world. In fact, caring for adult children extends to all species as well. And while letting mom and dad feed and house you for free might sound appealing, is it healthy for an adult (human or animal) to remain, say, a child? Perhaps a closer look at the parenting styles and behaviors of multiple creatures could provide insight into our own parenting choices — and better understand why animals mock their parents.
Extended parental care: why do animals laugh at their parents?
Just like us, pet parents can intervene when their offspring struggle in adulthood. Many relatives of wild animals feed their hungry adult children who are struggling to find meals. In fact, stored foods are often useful at these specific times. Some animals will also provide their offspring with mate introductions. These actions are called extended parental care.
Animals may need extended parental care for some of the same reasons humans do. Sometimes it can be an unsafe environment or limited resources. For example, Son of Western Bluebird who stay close to home during the winter months are more likely to survive. Because these birds are more secure in numbers, living as a family allows them to thrive. As an added incentive, they also inherit territory from their parents which is often filled with food. However, these creatures also pull their own weight teaching their younger siblings how to survive. Other animals that win the real estate lottery include North American red squirrels and meerkats.
Learn more: Crocodiles are particularly good mothers
“In the wild, it can often be dangerous to leave your group and go out and find your own mate,” says Karen Bales, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis and senior scientist at the California National Primate Research Center. That’s why adult children could benefit from staying home for as long as possible, she explains.
But what motivates these parents to care for their adult children? The answer lies in evolution. In the animal kingdom, competition seemingly happens in every corner, from finding resources to finding potential partners. When an environment has too much competition or too many predators, the life of an adult child can be in danger. Parents therefore attempt to protect their offspring for a multitude of reasons, including must continue their genetic heritage.
Older children might also provide some benefits to their parents, Bales says, such as caring for their younger siblings, which happens to be the case for marmosets and tamarins. In some settings, families might simply benefit from having more bodies to keep warm at night or reducing the risk of being eaten by predators.
Whether it’s endearing or embarrassing – or maybe both – for adults to make fun of their parents, it’s probably safe to say that there’s no place like home (or the basement). mum and dad’s floor).